News
International Middle East Media Center
Fundamentalists In Israel To Counter Freedom Flotilla
IMEMC – 20 May 2010 – Israeli sources reported that two Israeli boats will be sailing Saturday from northern Israel in order to counter the Freedom Flotilla bringing 600 peace activists and humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.
Israel Expels A Palestinian Legislator From Jerusalem
IMEMC – 20 May 2010 – The Israeli Police decided Thursday to expel Palestinian Legislator, Mohammad Abu Teir, from occupied East Jerusalem and claimed that he lost his residency right in the city after he decided to run for the Palestinian Legislative Elections in 2006.
U.S Senate Approves M 200 USD For Israel’s “Iron Dome”
IMEMC – 20 May 2010 – The United States Senate approved the American President’s plan to grant Israel more than $200 Million meant for the development of Israel’s Iron Dome that intercepts short-range missiles.
Israeli Troops Kidnap Seven Palestinians In The West Bank
IMEMC – 20 May 2010 – Israeli troops kidnapped seven Palestinians from Bethlehem and Ramallah areas in the West Bank on Thursday.
Soldiers Kidnap Children In Jerusalem
IMEMC – 20 May 2010 – Israeli soldiers kidnapped, on Thursday, at dawn several Palestinian children, aged 16-18, in al-Suwwana area, near the walls of occupied East Jerusalem.
Israeli Report; P.A Runs Political Campaign Against Israel
IMEMC – 20 May 2010 – Israel paper, Haaretz, reported Thursday that the Israeli Foreign Ministry recently prepared a document stating that the Palestinian Authority will continue its international political campaigns against Israel’s policies despite the launching on indirect talks.
Islamic Jihad Leaders Invited To Cairo
IMEMC – 20 May 2010 – A number of political leaders of the Islamic Jihad arrived in Cairo on Wednesday after being invited by the Egyptian Authorities in order to hold talks on Islamic Jihad members who were arrested by Egypt after landing in the country following medical treatment abroad.
Bahrain Shuns Al Jazeera
IMEMC – 19 May 2010 – The Qatar-based al-Jazeera news agency expressed shock and disbelief over a decision by authorities in Bahrain, temporarily shunning its work in the country after it broadcasted a report on poverty in Bahrain.
154,000 Palestinians Of Jerusalem Isolated From The City
IMEMC – 19 May 2010 – The al-Quds International Institution reported that the Israeli Authorities are continuing the construction of the annexation wall and Jewish settlements leading to the isolation of more than 154,000 Palestinians of the Jerusalem area from the city itself.
Official: Medical equipment still not entering Gaza
5/20/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israel continues to obstruct the entry of medical equipment into Gaza that was due for delivery in October 2009, a Palestinian liaison official said Thursday. The official, Raed Fattouh, said the equipment — which includes incubators, CT scanners, heart monitors among others — was sent from the West Bank but has yet to be cleared….
Boycott volunteers say army searching for them
5/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Volunteers with the Palestinian Authority’s House to House settlement goods boycott campaign said Israeli forces entered the Husan village, west of Bethlehem, searching for them. Volunteer Ahmad Jaz’ul told Ma’an that four Israeli military jeeps “raided the village at 1pm in the afternoon, searching for the campaign’s volunteers, stopping passer-bys and asking where….
Israel deports Abu Teir from Jerusalem hours after release
5/20/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Israeli authorities issued recently-released Hamas lawmaker Mohammad Abu Teir with a deportation notice on Thursday, giving him until 19 June to leave Jerusalem. Ma’an’s correspondent said the deportation order was issued on the basis that Abu Teir had lost his residency rights after participating in the Palestinian general elections in January 2006. The….
Society says detainee in deteriorating health
5/20/2010 – Jenin – Ma’an – The health of a detainee is swiftly deteriorating as a result of medical neglect, the Detainees’ Society head said Wednesday. Ragheb Abu Dyak said prisoner Khalil Musbah, who has been detained in the Shattah prison for the past eight years, has a critical intestine infection, which is worsening as a result of the….
Israeli forces detain 7 Palestinians overnight
5/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained seven Palestinians overnight Wednesday across the West Bank, Israeli media reported. According to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, five suspects were detained south of Bethlehem and were described as “wanted” by Israel. All detainees were taken for questioning, the daily added….
Gaza crossings partially open
5/20/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli authorities are expected to partially open two Gaza crossings for the transfer of aid on Thursday, Palestinian liaison officials said. Raed Fattouh, an official, said between 90 to 100 truckload of aid for commercial and agricultural sectors would be permitted through Gaza’s southern terminal with Israel. Limited quantities of domestic gas and….
Rafah crossing open for 6th day
5/20/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinians will continue traveling via the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza on Thursday, as the terminal remains open for the sixth consecutive day, the de facto Palestinian Border Crossing Corporation said. Officials said, however, that Thursday would be the final day the terminal is open for travel, which Egyptian authorities made navigable….
Israel extends detention of J’lem Fatah member’s son
5/20/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – An Israeli court extended the detention of four Palestinians from the As-Suwana neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem until Sunday, after they were detained in an overnight raid Wednesday. Among the detainees is Iyad Omar Ash-Shalabi, son of Fatah’s Jerusalem secretary Omar Ash-Shalabi, and Tamer Abu Gharbieh, Ahmad Aslan, Ali Abu Gharbieh, and Majdi….
Resistance Brigades carry out military drill in Gaza
5/20/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The National Resistance Brigades, the military wing of
the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, carried out a number of military exercises in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday. The drill included the use of live ammunition, explosives, rocket-propelled grenades, and heavy machine guns, a statement read. The training, according to the….
Cypriot rep to PA visits Ma’an
5/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Cypriot representative to the Palestinian Authority Andreas Kouzoupis met with Ma’an editor-in-chief Nasser Lahham on Wednesday at the news agency’s Bethlehem headquarters. Kouzoupis said Ma’an “had more to offer than other well known international news agencies” and discussed the mechanisms with which the news agency and Cyprus could extensively cooperate, adding that it….
Group asks Elton John to cancel Israel gigs
5/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The British Committee for Universities for Palestine called on British icon Elton John to cancel his shows in Israel, seeking him to re-consider the move.BRICUP said it had sent an open letter to John in February asking him not to play in Israel but “we have had no response from him despite worldwide appeals to him.”Other UK artists including Elvis Costello, Massive Attack and Gil Scott-Heron have cancelled…. Related:Video: Hey Elton by John Greyson
Mash’al meets Gaddaffi
5/20/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – A delegation of Hamas officials headed by politburo leader Khalid Mash’al met with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddaffi on Wednesday night in the Libyan capital Tripoli, officials said. Hamas politburo member Izzat Ar-Rishiq said officials met with Gaddaffi to discuss current events in Palestinian politics, particularly attempts to reach a comprehensive unity deal with….
US donates $1.4 million to UNRWA
5/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – US Embassy officials in Damascus, the Syrian government, and UNRWA inaugurated a newly constructed community centre that will benefit some 144,000 Palestinian refugees living in the Syrian capital’s Yarmouk refugee camp on Wednesday. A statement issued by the US State Department said America contributed 1. 4 million US dollars for the community centre’s….
Erekat denies PA considering NATO forces in state
5/20/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – As the latest round of US-mediated talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials were held, chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat denied reports that the Palestinian Authority would be willing to have NATO forces deployed in a future Palestinian state. Reports surfaced shortly before President Mahmoud Abbas met with US Middle East envoy George Mitchell….
Hamas minister calls on Egypt to release prisoners
5/20/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – A Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Legislative Council member called for the immediate release of Palestinian prisoners in Egyptian jails on Thursday. The Gaza-based minister, Yahya Mousa, said despite numerous contacts with Egypt, intelligence services, and political parties, “The Egyptian government repeatedly ignores our demands.”Party spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri accused Egyptian State Security of executing….
Report: Israeli PM may offer easing of WB movement restrictions
5/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may offer to ease restrictions placed on West Bank residents’ movement, after meeting with US Middle East envoy George Mitchell Thursday during the latest round of indirect talks, news agencies reported. While Netanyahu’s office would not disclose information on what was discussed during the meeting, following President….
Israelis to launch ‘counter’ Freedom Fleet boat
5/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Two Israeli boats will lift anchor on Saturday from northern Israel, in response to the upcoming arrival of the Freedom Fleet in Gaza’s port, bringing humanitarian aid and some 600 peace activists, Israeli media reported. According to the Hebrew online news site Yedioth Aharonoth, the two vessels will wave banners describing “barbaric Hamas….
OIC: Israeli occupation of Golan Heights threat to global security
5/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Israel’s continued threats against Syria, aimed at escalating regional tensions, are endangering global peace and security, foreign ministers convening at the Organization of Islamic Conference said Thursday. The remarks were drafted in a resolution after the body finalized its 37th session, the government-backed Syrian Arab News Agency reported. The OIC further called….
De facto forces release Khan Younis governor
5/20/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Fatah Revolutionary Council member and Khan Younis mayor was released late Wednesday night by de facto security forces in the Gaza Strip. Usama Al-Farra’s family told Ma’an that a large deployment of Hamas-affiliated security forces had surround his home, taking him to an unknown location. Both rival movements accuse one another of carrying….
PA releases Hamas leader detained in Nablus
5/20/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – In what analysts are describing as a significant move toward Palestinian unity, the Palestinian Authority released a senior Hamas leader on Thursday, hours after detaining him from his home in Nablus, as de facto forces released a Fatah official from custody. Muhammad Ghazal, a 56-year-old Hamas politburo member living in Nablus city’s….
Israel releases Hamas PLC member
5/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Israeli authorities released a Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Legislative Council member on Thursday, detained in an arrest campaign targeting the Islamist movement’s officials following their electoral victory in 2006. Mohammad Abu Teir, one of 65 Hamas officials detained shortly after Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit’s capture in cross-border raid in Gaza in 2006, urged Israel’s….
Students graduate from course on robotics for hearing impaired
5/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Project Hope, a voluntary youth and culture organization in Nablus, held a graduation celebration and ceremony for 16 students who participated in a robotics course for the hearing impaired, a statement read Thursday. The course was arranged by Project Hope for students from a local school for visually and hearing impaired students, and….
Tulkarem cleared of bird flu
5/20/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – The Tulkarem governorate in the northern West Bank was cleared of bird flu on Thursday, after the Palestinian Authority Agriculture Ministry received results conducted in Israeli medical laboratories, an official said. Azzam Tbeleh, the ministry’s under-secretary, said the Israeli Veterinary Services officially handed over the final results, clearing the Bal’a area in Tulkarem….
PSE: Al-Quds Index down 1.33 points
5/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Al-Quds Index saw a further drop on Thursday, down by 1. 33 points, after falling 0. 15% on the Palestinian Securities Exchange the previous day. Closing at 496. 8, the Al-Quds Index was down by 0. 38% after a total of 1,738,652 shares were traded for a total value of 2,904,679. 38….
Residency and naturalisation
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – My eldest daughter, Tamara, who studied and worked in the US, finally got her own Israeli-issued residency ID for Jerusalem. It took her seven years to accomplish this feat despite the fact that she was born…
Re-branding Israel: Land of security know-how
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – Some want the conflict be incorporated into the Israeli brand. (Activestills) Since the publication of his UN report charging Israel (and Hamas) with war crimes, Richard Goldstone has been subjected to a well-orchestrated delegitimisation campaign by…
House passes $205m Israel military aid boost
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – New York – After approving a resolution to give Israel an additional 205 million dollars in military aid on a voice vote Wednesday, the House officially passed the measure in a lopsided 410-4 roll call Thursday…
PLO envoy: Israel entering talks in bad faith
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – New York – The Palestine Liberation Organization’s envoy in Washington accused Israel of entering long-awaited indirect peace talks in bad faith in an interview published on Thursday. Ambassador Maen Rashid Areikat [Courtesy PLO Mission] “To be…
Israel rearrests freed Hamas official
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – Muhammad Abu Tir is taken into Israeli custody hours after release New York – Israeli police rearrested Hamas leader Muhammad Abu Tir Thursday hours after he was released from an Israeli prison after a four year…
Gaza doctor ‘refuses to hate’
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – Washington – CBC Toronto’s “The Current” spoke earlier in May with Izzeldin Abuelaish , the Gazan doctor whose three daughters were killed by israeli shelling while he was interviewed on live on television during Israel’s 2009 offensive…
Hamas, Fatah trade prisoners
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – New York – Hamas authorities in Gaza and rival the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah each released prisoners of the other group on Thursday, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported . Rival premiers Ismail Haniyeh (left) and…
Boycott volunteers: Israel army is hunting us
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – Washington – Volunteers with a door-to-door campaign promoting the Palestinian Authority’s settlement goods boycott say the Israeli army is searching for them, Ma’an News Agency reported Thursday. While the West Bank government is only boycotting settler…
Report: Netanyahu may offer ‘softened’ WB restrictions
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – Washington – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may call for the easing of movement restrictions in the West Bank after meeting with US Middle East envoy George Mitchell in Jerusalem, news agencies reported Thursday. US envoy…
Organic WB farmers resist the occupation
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – Washington – West Bank farmers were organic well before the fad hit the States, and now they are redoubling their agricultural efforts in order to lessen dependence of foreign aid and preserve the land for their…
Johr Ad-Dik: Gaza’s lifeless village
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – Bombed by Israel and unserved by local government, Johr Ad-Dik is a shadow of itself By Omar Ghraieb, special to Palestine Note Gaza – I first went to Johr Ad-Dik because its residents wanted me to…
Iran: Emotional reunion for detained hikers
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – Washington – The mothers of three American hikers held in Iran since July 2009 were able to meet with their children Thursday, Reuters reported . A vigil for the hikers was held April 11, 2010 at Prospect…
Hamas delegation meets Gadhafi
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – Washington – A delegation of senior Hamas leaders led by Khaled Meshal met with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in Tripoli Wednesday, Al-Jazeera report ed. Ezzat Ar-Resheq, a member of the Hamas delegation, told Al Jazeera that…
Mitchell to meet Netanyahu Thursday
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – Washington – US Middle East envoy George Mitchell met with Palestinian President Mahmood Abbas Wednesday in Ramallah and is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday morning. According to Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb…
Palestinian 5th graders talk politics and poetry with Palestine Note
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – By Sarah Harlan Washington/Tulkarem – A class of fifth-grade girls at the Fatmeh Al-Zahara Girls School in the West Bank city of Tulkarem have written a remarkable poem about what it means to be from Palestine….
Miss USA clouded by Hezbollah and pole dancing
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – Washington – Lebanese-American Rima Fakih was crowned Miss USA in Las Vegas Sunday night, but her Lebanese-Shia roots and some racy pictures are overshadowing her win. Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih poses in swimsuit [Photo: Bobster855…
Mothers ask Iran to free US hikers
AlJazeera 20 May 2010 – US hikers imprisoned in Iran reunite w
ith mothers for the first time in ten months.
Jerusalem Police arrest two Arab youths suspected of vandalizing Jewish cemetery
Ha’aretz – East Jerusalem residents allegedly smashed Mount of Olives gravestones in order to steal bronze casings of memorial candles.
IN PICTURES / Celebrating Shavuot in Israel
Ha’aretz – The harvest festival is celebrated in a variety of ways in Israel.
56 MKs petition Netanyahu: Let Gaza evacuees build in West Bank settlement despite freeze
Ha’aretz – Residents of former Gaza settlement Netzarim had been in the throes of building neighborhood in Ariel when Israel declared a 10-month construction freeze.
Driver with suspended license kills two after speeding through red light
Ha’aretz – Police suspect driver lost control of her vehicle before striking the two women at a crosswalk in Haifa suburb of Kiryat Yam.
Netanya man charged for stealing from Israeli killed in Thailand
Ha’aretz – Ariel Soriano, 22, was killed in December 2009 at a party in Thailand, when an electrical cord fell into the pool in which he was swimming.
Following Haaretz report: Arabs to resume Museum of Tolerance battle
Ha’aretz – Arab groups vow to step up opposition to construction on site of 1,000-year-old Muslim cemetery.
Can Israelis learn to have better manners?
Ha’aretz – Manners instructor Tami Lancut Leibovitz believes Israelis’ crude behavior stems from the history of immigration in the 62-year-young country.
U.S. Congress approves Obama funding for Iron Dome defense system
Ha’aretz – Lawmakers voted to give Israel $205 million for its production of the short-range rocket defense system by a 410-4 margin.
Peres: Syria says it wants peace but keeps aiming missiles at Israel
Ha’aretz – Speaking at Israel Military Industries factory, president says Israel is interested only in peace, poses not threat to Lebanon or Syria.
Hamas official detained hours after release from Israeli jail
Ha’aretz – Mohammed Abu Tir, who was one of 65 Hamas lawmakers and senior militants detained by Israel in 2006 raids, urges Israel to expedite Shalit deal.
Brazil: Iran is willing to talk, other countries must do the same
Ha’aretz – Brazil President says Iran has been ‘sold to the world as the devil’ but now would like to see others live up to conditions they imposed on Iran.
Israel considers goodwill gestures as second round of proximity talks ends
Ha’aretz – Netanyahu meets U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell following Mitchell-Abbas session on outline of future Palestinian state Wednesday., Obama tells Turkish PM: We’ll keep pushing for Iran sanctions; Ahmadinejad dismisses UN sanctions draft, says it lacks legitimacy., UN Security Council sanctions draft targets Iran banks, shipping, arms; Clinton: World powers, including Russia and China, agree on a draft sanctions resolution against Iran.
Israel continues to impede the entry of medical equipment into Gaza
20 May 2010 – Gaza, May 20, (Pal Telegraph) The Israeli occupation authorities continue impeding the entry of equipment and medical devices to the Gaza Strip since mid-October 2009. Raed Fattouh, Chairman of the goods entry into the Gaza Strip Committee, said that since mid-October 2009 until today Israel impedes the entry of medical equipment, medicine and medical devices to Gaza from the West…
Israel releases and deports Turkish relief worker Izzat Shaheen
20 May 2010 – Jerusalem, May 20, (Pal Telegraph) The Turkish citizen Ezzat Shaheen arrived to the Turkish capital, Istanbul, after the Israeli occupation authorities released him from prison. Israel detained him since last April, accusing him of working for the benefit of an illegal organization. The reports quoted the “Turkish Organization for humanitarian relief”, saying that The Israeli internal security agency “Shin Bet,…
Israel arrests minors in Jerusalem
20 May 2010 – Jerusalem, May 20, (Pal Telegraph) The Israeli occupation forces launched a campaign of arrests in the early hours of today targeting a number of young minors in the area of “Sawwanah” near the Old City of Jerusalem. According to Omar Al-Shalabi, the Secretary of the Fatah movement, that the Israeli occupation forces raided the homes of young people in the…
Egypt opens Rafah border for the last day
20 May 2010 – Gaza, May 20, (Pal Telegraph) Egypt continues to open the Rafah crossing to traffic in both directions for the sixth consecutive day. The Borders and Crossings Committee issued a statement today, saying that the Rafah crossing is working for the last day today to allow the owners of foreign passports and Gazan patients to leave the Gaza strip heading to…
Israel partially opens Gaza’s commercial crossings today
20 May 2010 – Gaza, May 20, (Pal Telegraph) The Israeli occupation authorities decided to partially open Kerem Abu Salem and Carney commercial crossings to insert food, aid and fuel. Raed Fattouh, the Chairman of the goods entry into Gaza Committee, confirmed that the Israeli occupation authorities has decided to open the Kerem Abu Salem crossing, which is located southeast of the Gaza Strip,…
GAZA’S ELECTRICITY CRISIS: THE IMPACT OF ELECTRICITY CUTS ON THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION
Uruknet May 20, 2010 – Since January 2010, there has been a serious deterioration in the supply of electricity in the Gaza Strip. The immediate reason is that Gaza’s sole power plant, the Gaza Power Plant (GPP), is able to produce only half the electricity that it did prior to January 2010, due to a lack of funds needed to…
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (13 – 19 May 2010)
Uruknet May 20, 2010 – Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting period (13 ‚Äì 19 May 2010): Shooting: During the reporting period, a Palestinian child was killed by an Israeli settler in the West Bank and an elderly man was killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, 3 civilians were…
IOA confiscates 90% of endowment land in occupied Palestine
Uruknet May 20, 2010 — Head of Shari’a court of appeal in 1948 occupied Palestinian land Ahmed Natour affirmed that 90 percent of the Islamic Waqf (endowment) lands were confiscated by Israel at the pretext of the absentee property law enacted in 1950s and were used for different purposes. Judge Natour added that the rest of the Islamic holy sites…
Official: Medical equipment still not entering Gaza
Uruknet May 20, 2010 – Israel continues to obstruct the entry of medical equipment into Gaza that was due to enter in October 2009, a Palestinian liaison official said Thursday. The official, Raed Fattouh, said the equipment — which includes incubators, CT scanners, heart monitors among others — was sent from the West Bank but has yet to be cleared…
Freedom Rider: Endless Terror
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – …Once citizenship can be stripped away by the state, the Constitution becomes a dead letter. Yet that is the self-mutilation prescribed by American politicians who would jettison every U.S. citizen’s rights just to spite the alleged Times Square bomber, a naturalized U.S. citizen. Most Americans seem incapable of understanding why Pakistanis, Yemenis and others that…
“Growing Accustomed to Destruction of Homes”: Israel, Hamas and Demolitions
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – …According to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, more than 24,000 Palestinian homes have been demolished by the Israeli Occupation Forces since 1967, in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. Tens of thousands of individuals have been made homeless by this policy. Yet this is a only a fraction of the millions of Palestinian…
Comrade Sa’adat denounces negotiations and calls for freedom for Palestinian prisoners
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – Comrade Ahmad Sa’adat, General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, called for the release of all political prisoners in Palestinian jails, emphasizing the importance of the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. In a meeting held at Ramon Prison on May 16, 2010 with the leader of the…
Al–Walaja village is gradually disappearing
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – Al‚ÄìWalaja village, south of Bethlehem, is gradually disappearing. In 1967, approximately half of it was annexed by Israel and absorbed into the Jerusalem municipality. This hillside village lies nearby the Israeli Jewish settlement of Gilo. The settlement is expanding and Israeli authorities are seizing more land. According to a military confiscation order handed to the…
Zionist settler beats 90-year-old Palestinian woman, her grandson
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – Zionist settler Yitzhak Hircovich assaulted 90-year-old Palestinian woman Sheeha Ali in the tent she has pitched after he took her own house in Beit Safafa village south of occupied Jerusalem in mid April. Sheeha said that the settler insulted her then kicked and beat her then threw her to the ground, along with her four-year-old…
Persecution of Palestinian citizens recalls S. Africa apartheid repression
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – Two weeks after Israel imposed a travel ban on him, Ameer Makhoul, a well-respected Palestinian leader holding Israeli citizenship, was kidnapped from his home on 6 May in the middle of the night. The persecution of Makhoul brings back memories of the South Africa apartheid regime: he has been held
Heat rises in boycott of Israeli settlers’ goods
The National 20 May 2010 – Thousands take to West Bank street to distribute lists of products made by illegal settlers the Palestinian Authority wants to ban.
ElBaradei’s prolonged absences from public confuse followers
The National 20 May 2010 – Mohammed ElBaradei’s return to Egypt three months ago reinvigorated the country’s opposition movement and generated widespread optimism that change was coming.
International Solidarity Movement
Towards Ending our Ongoing Nakba: Statement by the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)
5/20/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – I17 May 2010 – For sixty-two years, Palestinians have been denied their dignity and fundamental human rights. The creation and “international” acceptance of Israel in 1948 marked the culmination of a new kind of politics in the region that continues to have devastating consequences. The acceptance of an ethnic Jewish state over the ruins of Palestinian….
Organized Trauma: Increased systematic child arrests in Palestine
5/20/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Akram Sharawneh, a 15 year old boy from Hebron, was released on Sunday the 25th of April this year after being randomly arrested by Israeli soldiers and spending more than two months in an Israeli juvenile prison (not all the period in juvenal prison). He is one of the many minors from Hebron who has….
State Anti-Semitism and Political Persecutions
Alternative Information Center – In the Czarist Empire, in which a majority of the Zionist leaders were educated and where their world view was formed, anti-Semitism was one of the clear means of defence of the backwards regime. Each…
Who Succeeded in Fr
ightening the Israeli Settlers?
Alternative Information Center – The war of the Palestinians against settlements is currently focusing on the pocket, and in essence on the legitimacy of settlements. Roi Katz on the new direction of the struggle. The response of the settler community…
Opinion: DON’T BE VAGUE, BLAME WILLIAM HAGUE
PNN – The taming of the new British Foreign Secretary by by R Ellis In July 2006, as Israel waged yet another war on Lebanon, the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was in trouble…
Rafah Crossing In Last Day Of Operation
PNN – Gaza ‚Äì PNN – On Thursday the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt continued to be open for both sides. The Crossing, the only way for Palestinians in or out…
Radical Jewish Group Storm The Dome Of The Rock Compound In Jerusalem’s Old City
PNN – Jerusalem ‚Äì PNN – A group of radical Jewish extremists under the protection of Israeli police stormed the Dome of the Rock compound in Jerusalem’s old city on Thursday. The group managed…
Israel Free Hamas MP Mohamed Abu Terr
PNN – Jerusalem ‚Äì PNN – The Israeli military released on Thursday Mohamed Abu Terr a Palestinian MP from Jerusalem from the Hamas movement. Abu Terr was arrested by the Israeli army from his…
Israeli Troops Arrest Seven Civilians From The West Bank
PNN – Bethlehem – PNN – Seven Palestinians civilians were arrested by Israeli soldiers on Thursday during morning invasions targeting a number of West Bank communities. Local sources reported army raids and home searches…
EGYPT: Hopes Fade for US Help to Restore Civil Liberties
IPS CAIRO, May 20 (IPS) – Egypt’s decision to extend its oppressive Emergency Law for two more years drew a tepid response from Washington, prompting criticism that U.S. administrations – including that of President Barack Obama – only push for political reform in Egypt when it suits their geostrategic interest.
Bank Cornered over Financing Israeli Settlements
IPS BRUSSELS, May 19 (IPS) – New evidence has been uncovered to show that Dexia, a major Belgian-French bank, is still financing Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories despite official assurances that such loans have ceased.
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (13 – 19 May 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
J’lem irked at PA bid to isolate Israel
Jeruslalem Post 20 May 2010 – Fatah member planned to expel Israel from UN.
Israel, PA can’t agree on what they’re talking about
Jeruslalem Post 20 May 2010 – Water, says Jerusalem; borders, say Palestinians
Thais in Israel hope for the best
Jeruslalem Post 20 May 2010 – The clashes have not taken a personal toll for most.
Gay father of surrogates stuck in India
Jeruslalem Post 20 May 2010 – Dan Goldberg appeals to Peres for help bring twins to Israel.
Hamas legislator Abu Tir released
Jeruslalem Post 20 May 2010 – Orange-bearded leader says he’s being evicted from J’lem.
Hamas member Abu Tir released
Jeruslalem Post 20 May 2010 – Orange-bearded legislator says he’s lost permanent Jerusalem residency.
US to Syria: Stop Hizbullah arms
Jeruslalem Post 20 May 2010 – Top diplomat in Washington says Damascus crucial to ME peace.
Netanyahu pushes for direct talks
Jeruslalem Post 20 May 2010 – PM’s office: “Israel hopes Palestinians will create positive atmosphere.”
A material world
Jeruslalem Post 20 May 2010 – In a world of synthetics and polyesters, third-generation J’lem merchant Bilal Abu-Khalaf sells hand-woven silks, cotton and gold-threaded cloths.
Cases of sexual assault by relatives surfacing in Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 20 May 2010 – Psychologist suggests unemployment, boredom, oppression and life under siege contribute to drug use and sexual depravity in Strip.
Brazil and Turkey: Mediators for what?
Jeruslalem Post 20 May 2010 – The irony of the new Iran uranium deal.
Palestinian Girls Nab Science Prize in Silicon Valley, Praise at UN HQ
WAFA – NEW YORK, May 20, 2010 (WAFA)- Three Palestinian girls educated in a United Nations-funded school in a refugee camp have made history by winning a top spot at an international science fair in
Gaza-Jordan: Mother, Daughter Reunited after 10 Years of Pain
WAFA – AMMAN, May 20, 2010 (WAFA)- As part of the ICRC’s standing efforts to restore family links between relatives separated by conflict, it recently brought an ageing mother from Gaza to live with her
United States to Assist Palestinian Refugees in Syria
WAFA – DAMASCUS, May 20, 2010 (WAFA)- Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, the Syrian Arab Republic Government, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the
My letter to Nick Clegg on Palestine | Michael Mansfield
The Guardian 20 May 2010 – As deputy PM, Nick Clegg, it is your duty to live up to your own words on the daily atrocities happening in the occupied territories To the British deputy prime minister: Dear Nick Clegg, This is…
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory 13 – 19 May 2010
Relief Web 20 May 2010 – Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
OPT: The Humanitarian Monitor – April 2010
Relief Web 20 May 2010 – Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
United States to Assist Palestinian Refugees in Syria
Relief Web 19 May 2010 – Source: US Department of State
French, German FMs to visit Mideast
YNet News – France’s Kouchner to meet Assad, Hariri, while Germany’s Westerwelle will hold….
US mothers visit Iran detainees, plead for release
YNet News – ‘We’re not politicians, we don’t have the power to change this,’ American….
Abu Tir summoned for questioning shortly after release
YNet News – Sources close to Hamas official say he is wanted for questioning by Jerusalem….
Father and son drug smugglers receive 8-year sentence
YNet News – Pair convicted of smuggling 3 kilograms of heroin and hashish from Lebanon…..
UN Iran sanctions would bar Russian missile sales
YNet News – Western diplomats says proposed sanctions resolution against Iran includes sale….
Iran says can destroy Israel in week
YNet News – Ahmadinejad’s chief of staff says if Israel attacks, ‘Zionists will have no….
Hamas’ Abu Tir released from prison
YNet News – Senior terror figure, arrested after Gilad Shalit’s abduction, goes free after….
Ghajar remembers IDF withdrawal from Lebanon
YNet News – Ten years on, the residents of Ghajar on the Israel-Lebanon border remember the IDF withdrawal from the land of the cedars. “That was the day we changed from a normal …….
US lawmakers back Israel missile defense aid
YNet News – WASHINGTON – The US House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly backed President Barack Obama’s plans to help Israel deploy an anti-missile system, in an …….
Qassam explodes near Ashkelon; no injuries
YNet News – The relative calm along Israel’s border with Gaza was violated Thursday evening when a Qassam fired from the northern part of the Hamas-ruled territory landed in an open …….
$7 million for national service program
YNet News – Ten major US Jewish funds have offered Israel financial support amounting to some $7 million to promote national service for population groups which are less likely to be …….
Abu Tir calls Shin Bet interrogation ‘extortion attempt’
YNet News – Ynet has learned that the Shin Bet security service was involved in Thursday’s interrogation of senior Hamas figure Muhammad Abu Tir, who was released from an Israeli …….
Brazil’s Lula says Iran showed willingness to talk
YNet News – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday that Iran had showed willingness to negotiate its nuclear program and that other countries now needed to do …….
Three Palestinians executed in Gaza
B’tselem 19 May 2010 – B’Tselem strongly condemns the execution on Tuesday, 18 May, of three Palestinians convicted of serious criminal offences, including murder and rape, by the Hamas government in Gaza. The death penalty is immoral and violates the basic right to life of eve
Mothers ask Iran to free US hikers as humanitarian gesture
Daily Star 20 May 2010 TEHRAN: The mothers of three US hikers held in Iran for 10 months amid spy accusations called for their release as a “humanitarian gesture” after an emotional reunion with their children on Thursday. “We have requested…
Hopes fade for Washington’s help in restoring civil liberties in Egypt
Daily Star 20 May 2010 CAIRO: Egypt’s decision to extend its oppressive Emergency Law for two more years drew a tepid response from Washington, prompting criticism that US administrations – including that of President Barack Obama – only push for political…
Qatari emir Hamad, Syria’s Assad meet to discuss Arab ties
Daily Star 20 May 2010 BEIRUT: The emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani hosted Syria’s President Bashar Assad on Wednesday to discuss the bilateral relations between their countries, as well as cooperation among Arab countries, the Syrian state-run SANA…
Israel releases Hamas lawmaker it abducted nearly four years ago
Daily Star 20 May 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel on Thursday released a Hamas lawmaker abducted nearly four years ago following the capture of an Israeli soldier by Gaza militants in a deadly cross-border raid, prison authorities said. Mohammad Abu Teir, a…
Progress lacking as US envoy ends Mideast visit
Daily Star 20 May 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: There were no immediate signs of progress as US envoy George Mitchell wrapped up his latest visit to the Middle East on Thursday after holding
“proximity talks” with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. But Prime…
Iran may cancel atom swap deal over Security Council sanctions move
Daily Star 20 May 2010 TEHRAN: Iran could cancel an accord with Turkey and Brazil to transfer some of its enriched uranium abroad if the UN Security Council approves a fourth round of sanctions against it, a member of Parliament said…
Qatar Reigns Supreme in MidEast Competitiveness
The Media Line 20 May 2010 – Israel gets a significant boost in the annual listings. Qatar has remained number one and Israel is showing great signs of improvement, an annual study of economic competitiveness has found. The 2010 World Competitiveness Yearbook, issued…
Obama Says he Stepped on Land Mines in Pursuit of Peace Deal
The Media Line 19 May 2010 – With his Mideast envoy back in the region to facilitate indirect peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, President Obama reportedly indicated he might be visiting Jerusalem in the coming year to personally help them…
Palestinians Up Boycott of Settler Goods
The Media Line 19 May 2010 – The Palestinian Authority has ratcheted up its campaign to boycott all Israeli goods that are produced in Jewish-Israeli communities inside land acquired in the 1967 war. The Palestinian Authority Chairman has now issued an official edict…
Rock Icon Elvis Costello Joins Anti-Israel Boycott, Cancels Israeli Concerts
The Media Line 19 May 2010 – After telling Israeli music journalists that dialogue and sharing culture were the best ways to overcome conflict, British rock star Elvis Costello announced he was backing out of two planned concerts in Israel because of the…
Iran allows jailed American hikers to meet their mothers
LA Times 21 May 2010 – The women praise Iran say being allowed to visit their children, held since they allegedly crossed into Iran and accused of trespassing, is a ‘wonderful’ gesture.
U.S. Hikers Held in Iran Describe Captivity
New York Times 20 May 2010 – The mothers of three hikers arrested 10 months ago along the Iraq-Iran border were allowed to see their children.
State Anti-Semitism and Political Persecutions
Alternative Information Center 3 – In the Czarist Empire, in which a majority of the Zionist leaders were educated and where their world view was formed, anti-Semitism was one of the clear means of defence of the backwards regime. Each…
Uncertain Education
Palestine Monitor – Since September 2009, seventy children of the Bedouin community Jahalin in al-Khan al-Ahmar have been going to school close to their homes, between Jericho and Jerusalem. But it is unclear whether these children will be able to attend their necessary lessons next year. By the end…
Who Succeeded in Frightening the Israeli Settlers?
Alternative Information Center 1 – The war of the Palestinians against settlements is currently focusing on the pocket, and in essence on the legitimacy of settlements. Roi Katz on the new direction of the struggle. The response of the settler community to Palestinian threats to boycott goods of the territories highlights…
‘Beinart, your brutal honesty makes you my political foe’
Mondoweiss – Hello Peter Beinart, You say : ” ….I’m not even [asking Israel] to allow full, equal citizenship to Arab Israelis.” I think it would be very safe to say that most of the young Sheikh Jarrah activists, whose struggle you have praised , will be your political foes…
Playwright was willing to change Wiesel’s name; but show will go on in New York
Mondoweiss – Wow what a black eye for the Jewish tradition of free speech. (And more evidence for my view that the American Jewish revolution has given way to Establishment Jewish entitlement.) Below is a note said to be by Morgan Jenness, a dramaturg and agent for Deb…
Martin Indyk’s references to Nakba represent denial of atrocities
Mondoweiss – Martin Indyk is a powerful man in the Israel lobby. He worked for Bill Clinton and George Bush and now heads the Saban Center at the Brookings Institution, the thinktank funded by Haim Saban who declares that his bottom line is affecting policy on Israel. Last…
Fogies shut their mouths amid new wave of idealism
Mondoweiss – I The picture above was taken last Saturday outside the public library in Castro Valley, CA, where Rep. Barbara Lee was due to get an award from some Democratic Party club. Castro Valley, which is around 15 miles southeast of Oakland, is about as plain-vanilla as…
Rose: Nakba was natural outcome of foundational messianic ideology of Jewish state
Mondoweiss – I’m thinking about the Nakba a lot today. The Nakba is the core event of Palestinian history, just as the great identity event of Jewish history in recent time is the Holocaust. Until the Nakba is understood as the direct cost of the foundation of Israel…
cartoon of the day
Palestine Think Tank – Free Palestinian Prisoners by Hisham Zreiq
ISRAELI ASS KISSING ON THE RISE
Irish4Palestine – And the award for ISRAELI ass kissing goes to…………….AMERIC
A!! How on earth did I miss this spectacular, colossal, stupendous, gargantuan, magnificent, awe inspiring, all consuming, ass kissing:link US ‘screwed up’ The Obama administration has “screwed up the messaging” about its support for Israel over the past…
Mothers meet US hikers in Tehran
BBC – The mothers of three American hikers held in Tehran since July hold an emotional meeting with their children.
Israel releases jailed Hamas man
BBC – Israel has released a Hamas leader jailed in the aftermath of the capture of an Israeli soldier nearly four years ago.
The Only Democracy in the Middle East?
Antiwar.com – JERUSALEM — Noam Chomsky, a fierce espouser of left-wing causes, is widely admired in countries which parade themselves as “democracies.” Apparently, the admiration does not extend to Israel. The 81-year-old world famous linguist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was denied access to the occupied West…
US, Israel Challenged on Iran
Antiwar.com – Brazil and Turkey stand up, by Ray McGovern
Articles
Israel’s Exclusion and Restriction of Goods to Gaza
Stephen Lendman, Dissident Voice5/19/2010
After Hamas was overwhelmingly elected in January 2006, Israel, Washington and the West ended all outside aid, imposed an economic embargo and sanctions, and politically isolated the new government.
Stepped up repression followed, including regular IDF incursions, bombings, killings, targeted assassinations, arrests, property destruction, and Israeli-instigated internal conflict that left Fatah usurping authority in the West Bank, leaving Gaza alone under Hamas.
In June 2007, conditions worsened after Israel imposed its siege, medieval-like, according to some, for its harshness. Now, nearing its third anniversary, it’s still in place, slowly suffocating and strangling 1.5 million people, trapped by closed borders, regular incursions and attacks, and shortages of everything needed to function and survive. A humanitarian crisis resulted and continues. The West and most regional states are culpable, complicit or indifferent to a real time catastrophe.
Israel’s Policy of Exclusion and Restrictions
The Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of Movement is a 2005-founded Israeli NGO, “whose goal is to protect the freedom of movement of Palestinians, especially Gaza residents” — rights international and Israeli law guarantee. Yet under 43 years of military occupation, Palestinian rights have been systematically compromised, abused, and violated, worst of all in Gaza under siege.
In January 2010, Gisha examined the situation in a report titled, “Restrictions on the transfer of goods to Gaza: Obstruction and Obfuscation,” saying that: “Beginning in September 2007, Israel openly stated that it would restrict the movement of goods into and out of Gaza (not for security), but (to) apply ‘pressure’ or ‘sanctions’ on the Hamas regime.”more..e-mail
Palestinian and Israeli Public Opinion: The Public Imperative in the Second Intifada
Yousef Munayyer, Palestine Center5/19/2010
“Palestinian and Israeli Public Opinion: The Public Imperative in the Second Intifada” written by Jacob Shamir and Khalil Shikaki – Hardcover: 224 pages, Indiana University Press (March 25, 2010)
What do Israelis and Palestinians think about the core issues in the conflict? How does Palestinian and Israeli public opinion influence the decision making of their respective leadership? These are the questions that Jacob Shamir and Khalil Shikaki set out to answer in their new book, Palestinian and Israeli Public Opinion: The Public Imperative in the Second Intifada.
Following a theoretical premise founded in rational choice game-theory, the authors make a persuasive argument for the role of public opinion in international bargaining. Public opinion, for Shamir and Shikaki, is a critical force that is involved in a two-layer game where leaders are conscious of their own public’s opinion and the public opinion of their counterpart at the bargaining table.
A leader’s understanding of public opinion allows for the creation of leverage at the bargaining table and a clear understanding of the opposing sides “red lines.”
The authors explain the “domestic tables” of both Israelis and Palestinians. The players identified are interest groups or “cleavages” which must be taken into account at the international bargaining table. On the Israeli side, they identify three key players: First, the “settlers”, which “have been the most influential factor in shaping Israeli’s policy on peace and the territories over the last three decades;” second, the Israeli military and security establishment, which plays a “major role in most of the important decisions with regard to the conflict;” and third, economic interest groups, which have “long been pushing the Israeli political leadership toward more accommodating positions.”….more..e-mail
The Palestinian Nakba
Nabil Sha’ath, Ma’an News Agency5/15/2010
Today Israel celebrated 62 years since its formation on 15 May 1948. For Palestinians, today marks the 62nd year since the Nakba – our national and personal catastrophe, involving the loss of our ancestral homeland and the dispersal of three-quarters of our people into exile.
To date, the Palestinian people await Israeli recognition of its responsibility in the catastrophe and agreement to resolve the conflict based on international law, including UN resolutions.
I experienced exile first-hand. On 13 May 1948 one day before Israel’s declaration of independence, my hometown of Jaffa was captured by Zionist forces. Seventy thousand Palestinian inhabitants of the city were forced to leave, most of them by sea to Gaza, Egypt, and Lebanon. We Jaffans were literally driven out to the sea. I was 10. We were never allowed to return.
The same reality befell more than 726,000 indigenous Christian and Muslim Palestinians who fled their homes or were expelled from Mandate Palestine in and around 1948; while hundreds of Palestinians were killed as they were driven out, or in their attempt to come back home. Several Israeli historians such as Benny Morris and Ilan Pappe described the catastrophe vividly and accurately.
In the wake of the expulsion, more than 418 Palestinian villages were razed to the ground. Nearly all Palestinian property, including that belonging
to Palestinians who managed to stay within the areas that came under Israeli control, was confiscated by the nascent State of Israel for the exclusive benefit of Jews. In 1952, when Israel’s parliament passed its nationality law, Palestinian refugees were denied the option of citizenship in the new state. Additional measures were taken to bar our return to our country and our homes. The expulsion of Palestinians and the subsequent measures to render the displacement permanent were taken in contravention of international law.more..e-mail
PA to EI: No new roads being built with USAID funding
Electronic Intifada: 20 May 2010 – In his article “USAID funding Israel’s apartheid road construction” (17 May 2010) Jonathan Cook levels a number of serious accusations against the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). While his disdain for Israel’s occupation is to be applauded, his criticisms of the PNA ignore some fundamental facts with regards to road construction in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Belgian-French bank cornered over Israeli settlement financing
Electronic Intifada: 20 May 2010 – BRUSSELS (IPS) – New evidence has been uncovered to show that Dexia, a major Belgian-French bank, is still financing Israeli settlements in the OPT despite official assurances that such loans have ceased. Jean-Luc Dehaene, a former Belgian prime minister and now Dexia’s chairman, announced last year that the bank had not approved any new loans to authorities located in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank since June 2008.
Gaza’s virtual connection to the rest of the world
Electronic Intifada: 20 May 2010 – GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) – “I’ve learned most of what I know about photo editing and graphic design via the Internet,” says Emad, 27-year-old filmmaker and editor. In Gaza, this sort of thing has become usual in a different way. “This program isn’t available here,” he says, smiling triumphantly as he finishes downloading the latest edition of an advanced video editing program.
Uncertain Education
Palestine Monitor: 20 May 2010 – Since September 2009, seventy children of the Bedouin community Jahalin in al-Khan al-Ahmar have been going to school close to their homes, between Jericho and Jerusalem. But it is unclear whether these children will be able to attend their necessary lessons next year. By the end of the current school year in July, the Israeli Civil Administration will decide whether the demolition will go ahead. If this threat materializes, the children will be deprived of their education. / Reem, Muna and their classmates learn to make little dolls. Photo: Florian Vande Walle For twelve-year-old Reem, the school of al-Khan al-Ahmar changed her life and gave her a future. “To go to school near to Jericho, I had to wake up at 6.30 in the morning. I arrived at my school between nine and ten o’clock. I returned home around 4 o’clock, three hours after my class was finished. Today it…
Karazai in Washington: The War Awaiting Kandahar
Palestine Chronicle: 20 May 2010 – By Ramzy Baroud Clad in his usual attire of a colorful, striped robe, Afghan President Hamid Karazai appeared more like an emperor as he began his fourth day in Washington. Accompanying him on a somber visit to the Arlington National Cemetery were US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen and top US (and NATO) commander in Afghanistan Stanley A. McChrystal – the very men responsible for the war and occupation of his own country. The well-choreographed and clearly-rehearsed visit seemed set on giving the impression that the relationship between Karzai and these men was that of an independent, confident leader seeking the support of a benevolent superpower. But what were Karazai’s real reasons for visiting Washington? Typical media analyses have for months misrepresented the apparent chasm between Afghanistan and the US under Obama’s administration. Even if this administration was genuinely discontented with…more
Re-Branding Israel: Land of Security Know-How
Palestine Chronicle: 20 May 2010 – By Neve Gordon Since the publication of his UN report charging Israel (and Hamas) with war crimes, Richard Goldstone has been subjected to a well-orchestrated delegitimisation campaign by Israel. Most recently, new ‘revealing information’ was disseminated to the press, accusing the Jewish Zionist South African judge of sentencing 28 black South Africans to death during the apartheid years. ‘The judge who sentenced black people to death,’ said the speaker of the Knesset, Reuven Rivlin, ‘should not be allowed to lecture a democratic state defending itself against terrorists.’ The ongoing character assassination of Goldstone isn’t an isolated case, but should be seen as part of a large-scale state-branding exercise by Israel. In 2004, the Foreign Ministry hired a number of international PR firms to improve Israel’s global reputation. In the words of Ido Aharoni, the head of the ministry’s brand management team: Every place has a brand… Brazil is about fun,…more
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The New Dark Age 